Cops are shooting GPS bullets at criminals’ vehicles

Law enforcement officials in several states have a new weapon against the criminal element. It’s a non-lethal projectile called StarChase and it’s designed to track vehicles, not disable them.

Calling the StarChase a “bullet” might be a bit on the generous side. It’s clearly closer to a small artillery shell in size, and it’s also fired using pressurized air like a potato gun instead of relying a primer and gunpowder.

The StarChase “round” gets loaded into a vehicle mounted launcher that looks like something straight out of a James Bond movie. Typically it’s integrated just above the center of a police car’s front bumper, and there are single and double-barreled versions.

During a pursuit, the StarChase can be fired at a target vehicle so that police can track it in a less disruptive manner. The dash-mounted StarChase panel monitors air pressure and lets officers arm and fire with the push of a button.

Instead of continuing the chase at high speed, StarChase lets authorities hunt it down remotely via GPS. It’s sort of like Find My iPhone on wheels, except with a gigantic magnetic missile.

The StarChase system costs around $5000 to install and each re-usable bullet runs $500. That seems like very reasonable pricing when you consider the potentially massive savings resulting from reduced chase-related property damage and injuries.

Obviously the next logical step from here is the unbelievably clever bullet the Michael Crichton dreamed up for the 1984 cop flick Runaway. Skip to the 1:57 mark to check it out: